Appearance and Character

Vargo is a tall and gaunt man.[4] He has a two-feet-long ropey black goatee dangling from a pointed chin.[4][8] A large tongue causes Vargo to lisp and slobber when he speaks.[3]

Vargo is more cunning than he seems.[9] He is a sadist who frequently tortures his prisoners by chopping off their hands and feet, earning him an additional nickname, "the Crippler".[2]

Vargo wears a chain of linked coins from all the places where he has fought. The coins are of every shape and size, cast and hammered, bearing the likenesses of kings, wizards, gods, demons, and all manner of fanciful beasts. Vargo rides a zorse. His coat of arms feature the Black Goat of Qohor and he wears a helm shaped as a goat's head.[4]

There is tension between the Lannister forces and Vargo's men, leading to occasional violence. One incident starts with an archer from Lord Lewys Lydden's men taunting some Brave Companions over their failure to capture the brotherhood without banners and their leader, Beric, and leads to the death of Ser Harys Swyft's squire. After Tywin has the archer and two Brave Companions hanged, Vargo and Harys complete their reconciliation with a kiss.[4]

When Tywin marches his troops out of Harrenhal to pursue Robb Stark, who has invaded the westerlands, he leaves Ser Amory Lorch behind as castellan of the castle. However, Amory and Vargo hate each other and Vargo soon decides to turn cloak. He leads the Brave Companions to Lord Roose Bolton's camp, where Vargo and Roose reach a deal: the Brave Companions arrange for Harrenhal to fall into the hands of the northmen, in exchange for which Vargo is promised the title of Lord of Harrenhal once Roose and his men leave the castle.[3][9]

As a result of the agreement, together with some plunder that includes a huge caged bear, Vargo brings a group of northmen to Harrenhal, led by Robett Glover and Ser Aenys Frey. He claims they are captives the Brave Companions took when they repelled an attempt by Lord Bolton's forces to cross the Trident. As part of the feint, the northerners are chained, in ragged clothes and many fake injuries. Despite his displeasure with Vargo's assumed big catch, Amory falls for the trick and orders that the captives are brought to a dungeon, ignoring a protest by Robett that they have been promised honorable treatment by Vargo.[3]

Before the Brave Companions can keep their side of the bargain of releasing the prisoners so that they can overpower the small force left to defend Harrenhal, Arya Stark, not realizing what is going on, organizes a successful liberation of the captives with the assistance of Jaqen H'ghar, Biter, and Rorge. The northmen and the Brave Companions, now joined by Biter and Rorge, then bring the castle under their control and the following evening Roose arrives to take his seat at Harrenhal. Vargo and Lord Bolton watch on as the Brave Companions parade a naked Amory through the yard and throw him into the bear pit.[3]

The Brave Companions keep foraging for Lord Bolton with the additional assignment of rooting out Lannister forces they come across. Vargo splits up his group in four parties, the largest led by him, the others by his most trusted captains, so that they can visit as many villages as possible. In order to identify traitors, Vargo seizes people who had helped him while he was employed by Lord Tywin and confiscates the money they had received for their prior assistance. The Brave Companions often return to Harrenhal with bags full of silver.[13]

Arya, serving incognito as the cupbearer Nan to Roose Bolton, finds out that he is going to eventually hand Harrenhal to Vargo and that she will stay behind when Roose leaves the castle. Arya flees from Harrenhal, taking Hot Pie and Gendry along.[2][13]

After sending Jaime on to King's Landing in the company of Steelshanks Walton, Roose marches north to the Twins for the wedding of Lord Edmure Tully and Roslin Frey.[17] Vargo tries to force himself on Brienne at Harrenhal, but she bites him in the left ear. Vargo throws her into the bear pit and has her fight his bear with a tourney sword and no armor. When Jaime returns to rescue Brienne from expected rape at the hands of the Brave Companions, he offers to ransom Brienne, but Vargo says that if he wants her, he should go and get her. After Jaime leaps into the bear pit to rescue Brienne, Walton's crossbowmen kill the bear to protect Jaime. Vargo reluctantly allows them to leave Harrenhal, stating he is 'merthiful'.[11]

When Ser Jaime Lannister returns to Harrenhal on his way to ending the siege of Riverrun, he commands that Vargo's head be shown to him. Although most of the flesh is gone and the lips, nose and ears have been sliced off, Jaime recognizes that it is Vargo's because of the distinctive goatee.[8]Shitmouth and Raff inform Jaime that Gregor found Vargo sitting alone in the Hall of a Hundred Hearths, half mad with pain and fever from his festering wound. In a mockery of Vargo's preferred way of torturing his prisoners, Gregor cut off Vargo's limbs piece by piece over an extended period of time while he had the wounds bandaged so that Vargo stayed alive. Vargo first lost his hands and feet, then his arms and legs. The extremities as well as other parts of Vargo's body were then fed as "roast goat" to northern prisoners that Gregor brought to Harrenhal, including Ser Wylis Manderly, as well as to Vargo himself.[8] Jaime orders his squire, Josmyn Peckledon, to throw Vargo's head into the Gods Eye.[8]

Quotes by Vargo

Jaime: Lord Vargo, you were foolish to leave my father's service, but it is not too late to make amends. He will pay well for me, you know it.Vargo: Oh yeth. Half the gold in Cathterly Rock, I thall have. But firth I mutht thend him a methage.[15]

Roose: Do you know why Hoat cut off your hand?Jaime: He enjoys cutting off hands. He enjoys cutting off feet as well. He doesn't seem to need a reason.Roose: Nonetheless, he had one. Hoat is more cunning than he appears. No man commands a company such as the Brave Companions for long unless he has some wits about him.[9]

Roose: After a war there is always a peace, and with peace there are pardons ... for the Robb Starks, at least. Not for the likes of Vargo Hoat. Both sides have made use of him, but neither will shed a tear at his passing. The Brave Companions did not fight in the Battle of the Blackwater, yet they died there all the same.Brienne: You'll forgive me if I don't mourn?Roose: You have no pity for our wretched doomed goat?[9]